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St. Edmund’s belongs to an ancient pedigree: We trace our lineage through the Western Branch of Christianity to the earliest days of the Church, hold to the ancient Creeds, practice the ancient Sacraments, and retain the Apostolic Succession of Bishops, Priests and Deacons. Christianity arrived in the British Isles in the second century, and a flourishing Celtic Church was well established by the time Pope Gregory sent Augustine to become the first Archbishop of Canterbury in 597 A.D. This situation prevailed until the break between the Anglican Church and Rome at the time of the English Reformation. It was only after the break with Rome that our branch of the Catholic Church began to use the term “Anglican” in distinction from “Roman” Christianity. There are 80 million members of the Anglican Communion, the third largest Christian Communion (following the Roman and Orthodox churches) in the world and the largest Christian body in the English speaking countries.